Child&#39;s Bed

ABSTRACT

A child&#39;s bed comprises a sack ( 20 ) of a flexible material, which by a bottom ( 23 ) rests on the floor and which has the mouth part thereof connected to a rectangular frame ( 10 ). The frame ( 10 ) is formed of two frame parts, which are mutually connected via folding fittings that allow the frame parts to be folded into a parallel and overlapping relation. The frame ( 10 ) is provided with one obliquely outward downward sloping leg ( 13 ) in each corner. The legs are possible to fold back against the underside of the respective frame part ( 11 ) in order to lie within the area of the frame part. The free end ( 131 ) of the respective leg ( 13 ) is connected to an adjacent bottom corner ( 27 ) of the sack ( 20 ) in order to facilitate the folding-out and collapsing, respectively, of the bag ( 20 ) in connection with the erection and collapse, respectively, of the child&#39;s bed.

The invention relates to a child's bed of the kind that is seen in thepreamble of the appended claim 1.

A child's bed of a transportable nature has to be dismountable in orderto occupy a small space in a dismounted state. Furthermore, the child'sbed should have a low weight and be easy to dismount and assemble,respectively. Furthermore, in the erected state, the child's bed shouldbe stable and have a good child safety.

In that connection, the child's bed should comprise a ring-shaped framethat is carried at a distance above a ground by means of dismountablelegs and that carries a bed bottom, which is provided with flexible sidewalls connected to the frame at a considerable distance above the bedbottom, in order to prevent a small child from leaving the bed.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to further develop a child'sbed of the outlined kind, which entirely or partly meets one or more ofthe above-mentioned desires.

The object is attained by the invention.

The invention is defined in the appended claim 1.

Embodiments of the invention are defined in the appended dependentclaims.

In the following, the invention will be described by way of examples,reference being made to the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically and perspectively shows a child's bed.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a section taken along the line II-II inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a folding fitting of the bed frame.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a section taken along the line IV-IV inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a support leg and the connectionthereof to the frame, in axial section.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a planar view of the frame with the legslowered in the plane of the frame.

FIG. 7 illustrates the bed according to FIG. 1 in the collapsed stateand inserted in a parallelepipedic bag having carrying handles.

FIG. 1 illustrates a rectangular planar frame 10, which comprises twomutually equal, generally U-shaped frame parts 11, which connect to eachother via folding fittings 2, which allow the frame parts 11 to befolded into an overlapping parallel state. At each corner of the frame10, there is a leg attachment 12 and a leg 13 detachably mountedthereto, which from a planar ground (the floor) carries the frame 10parallel to the ground in relation to a vertical plane that extendsthrough the frame corners, and the legs 13 are sloped obliquely downwardat an angle of approx. 15° in relation to a vertical through theattachment 12.

The frame 10 carries a bed structure of a flexible material shaped inthe form of a sack 20. The sack has a bottom 23, which rests on thefloor/the ground, and side walls 21, which extend up to the frame 10 andare connected to the same. The walls 21 usually comprise a lower part21A of opaque fabric and an upper part 21B of a transparent material,for instance a net material. The upper verge part of the sack 20 isfolded over from the inside outwards, the folded-over verge part beingconnected to the upper part of the wall 21 by fastening members, forinstance zippers 24 along the respective side of the frame 10. Thefolded-over portion of the sack also extends around the corners of theframe, while the fastening elements 24 do not extend around the framecorners.

In a preferred embodiment, the fitting 2 may comprise two mutuallyequal, flat sheet-metal elements 1, which are shown to be composed of acircular main part having a shank projecting tangentially therefrom,which is fixed to the end of the respective frame part 11. The twomutually equal sheet-metal parts 1, 1′ abut each other planarly and aremutually coupled to a pivot axis 6, which is shown to have a head 61 ateach end. A spring 7 on each side of the fitting is kept in contact withthe two elements 1, 1′ to normally hold the same in surface abutmentagainst each other. In order to hold the branch ends of the frame parts11, in the state according to FIG. 1, axially directed against eachother and prevent the points of connection of the frame parts from beinglowered downward in FIG. 1, each element 1, 1′ is shown to have anopening 3, 3′ and a countersink 4, 4′ connecting in the circumferentialdirection of the opening. The countersunk portions 4, 4′ of the twoelements 1, 1′ will meet end-to-end in the adjacent opening edges 31,31′ of the openings 4, 4′. By the fact that the counter-sunk/deformedportions 4, 4′ are rounded at the opposite opening edges, thecountersunk portions 4, 4′ can slide out of the respective opening whenthe fitting 2 is folded in such a direction that the fittings 2 arelifted upward in relation to the state according to FIG. 1. In doing so,the elements 1′ separate in the direction of the axis 6 against theaction of the spring elements 7. In FIG. 3, two locking devices areshown established in diametrically opposed areas of the pair of elements1′.

The leg 13 should be arranged foldable in relation to the frame 7, froma stably folded-out state, to a lowered position near the plane of therespective frame part 11. In this connection, the leg 13 may beconnected to the frame 11 by a hinge device 102 having a pivot axis andhaving hinge portions 103, 104 connected to each other. By the fact thatthe legs 13 converge toward each other in the direction upward to apoint above the central part of the frame, no blocking of the legs 13 isrequired in the erected state of the bed, but a blocking is yetpreferable, for reasons of safety.

FIG. 5 illustrates a connection between a leg 13 and an attachment 12 ofthe frame part 11 associated thereto. It can be seen that the attachment12 is in the form of a metallic sleeve conically tapering toward thefree outer end thereof, and that the end part of the leg 13 matingtherewith receives a corresponding conical sleeve 15, which with an endflange 15′ rests against the end of the leg. The sleeve 15 has also anopposite end flange, which rests around the inner circumference of thetube 13. The sleeve has a recess in the outer circumference thereof, andis fixed in the tube end by means of an indentation 14 in the tube wall,the indentation 14 engaging in the external recess of the sleeve. InFIG. 5, it is seen that a draw element 16 is anchored in the frameelement 11 or the attachment 12 and extends through the attachment 12and has a bent over portion outside the free end of the attachment 12.In the bent-over end of the draw element 17, a bent-over hook part orloop of a drawbar 16 engages, which extends into the tube 13 and issurrounded by a screw compression spring 18. The opposite end of thedrawbar 17 is bent over and extends through an opening in a circularwasher 19, the diameter of which is somewhat smaller than the innerdiameter of the tube 13, and thereby offers a support to the inner endof the spring 18. The outer end of the spring 18 rests against the innerend flange 152 of the sleeve 15. In the shown state according to FIG. 5,the spring 18 is compressed and aims to pull together the tube 13 andthe attachment 12. Already upon a small folding-out of the tube 13(upward in FIG. 5), the spring 18 aims to pull down the end of the legwith the sleeve 15 onto the conical tubular attachment 12 into a mutualstable engagement. Thanks to the concinnity, a long and stable axialengagement length is presented between the sleeve and the attachment 12and the coupling may furthermore simply be released by axial separation.

From FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be understood that the free end part 131 ofthe leg 13 is connected to the respective adjacent bottom corner 27 ofthe sack by a connecting element 70, for instance in the form of aflexible band.

In FIG. 2 is also shown that a rigid plate 51 is laid on top on thebottom 23 of the sack 20 and that a mattress 50, for instance afoam-plastic plate, is laid on top of the rigid plate 51.

The bed according to FIG. 1 can readily be collapsed by taking themattress 50 and the plate 51 out of the sack 20. The plate 51 has twoparallel, spaced-apart scoring lines 52 in the longitudinally centralarea of the plate 51. The bed according to FIG. 1 is then placed upsidedown on the ground, after which the legs 13 are folded back over therespective frame part 11, after which the frame parts 11 are folded backtowards each other by turning in the fittings 2. Next, the collapsedframe with the sack 20 is placed in the doubled mattress 50 andfurthermore the plate 51 is placed in a doubled state outside themattress 50 as is seen in FIG. 8, after which the parallelepipedic bedpackage thus put together is placed in a parallelepipedic bag 91 matingtherewith, which is shown to have carrying handles 92. Naturally, thebag 91 may also have a cover including a zipper closure.

In order to erect the bed to the state according to FIG. 1 from thecollapsed state corresponding to FIG. 7, the collapsed frame 10 is takenout, and is oriented with the flame parts 11 vertical and with thefittings 2 upward, after which the operator seizes each of the shortends of the frame and turns apart the frame parts 11. In doing so, thelegs 13 will automatically, under the impact of the spring 18, befolded-out into alignment against the attachments 12 and stably engagethe same. Since the upper verge of the sack is attached to the frame 10and furthermore the bottom corners 27 of the sack are attached to thefree ends of the legs 13 by the verge 70, the child's bed immediatelyand automatically assumes the state shown in FIG. 1 and can be put downon the floor. After putting in the mattress 50 and possibly the plate51, the bed is ready to be used.

1: A child's bed comprising a ring-shaped frame (10) and legs (13)connected to the frame (10), as well as a sack (20) of flexible materialmounted on the frame, which sack has the opening verge part thereofconnected to the frame (10), the frame (10) comprising two mutuallyturnably mounted frame parts (11), the nearby branch ends of which aremutually connected to folding fittings (2), which allow the frame parts(11) to be folded between a first end position substantially in a commonplane, and a second end position in which the frame parts (11) areparallel and overlapping, and each leg (13) being foldable connected toan appurtenant attachment (12) of the frame, for foldability between afirst end position supporting the frame (10), and a second end position,in which the legs are folded back substantially parallel to the plane ofthe frame parts (11), characterized in that the frame (10) is providedwith one leg attachment (12) for each leg (13), the leg attachmenthaving a conical shape and a leg end connecting thereto having acorresponding conical complementary surface, and that spring members(18) are provided in order to axially pull together the end of the legand the leg attachment into connection with each other. 2: Child's bedaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the sack is formed in orderto, by a bottom (23), rest on a floor on which the legs of the erectedchild's beds rest, and that the bottom (23) of the sack extends over anarea that substantially corresponds to the area surrounded by the frame(10). 3: Child's bed according to claim 1, characterized in that amattress (50) is provided and has a bottom area corresponding to thebottom of the sack and that a rigid bottom plate (51) is provided inorder to be located between the mattress and the bottom (23) of thesack. 4: Child's bed according to claim 3, characterized in that thebottom plate (51) has two parallel spaced-apart scoring lines, which arepositioned in a longitudinally central area of the bottom plate andextend perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the bottomplate. 5: Child's bed according to claim 1, characterized in that thelegs when being operatively connected to the frame (10) converge towarda common point that is centrally positioned above the central part ofthe frame (10), the legs sloping at an angle of 5-25°, preferablyapprox. 150 to the vertical. 6: Child's bed according to claim 1,characterized in that the springs members are arranged to axially biasthe leg against the attachment and that the attachment and the leg areaxially united by a central flexible element coupled to the springmember. 7: Child's bed according to claim 1, characterized in that aconical sleeve is fixed in the end of the tubular leg, that the sleeve,on the outer circumference thereof, has a recess, and that the wall ofthe tubular leg is deformed for engagement in the recess of the sleevefor axial locking of the sleeve in the leg. 8: Child's bed according toclaim 1, characterized in that the folding fittings (2) of the frame(10) are arranged to allow the frame parts (11) to be folded againsteach other into a direction in which the leg attachment (12) of theframe parts (11) are facing each other. 9: Child's bed according toclaim 1, characterized in that the free ends of the legs are connectedto an adjacent portion of the sack near the bottom wall thereof. 10:Child's bed according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame isrectangular and that a support leg is connected to the respective cornerarea of the frame. 11: Child's bed according to claim 1, characterizedin that the spring loading exerted by the spring member between the legand the attachment thereof is chosen to produce an automatic stableconnection of the leg and the attachment thereof when the direction ofthe leg approaches the direction of the attachment. 12: Child's bedaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the mouth portion of thesack is folded over around the frame against the outside of the sack andis attached against the same along the respective frame piece, with theexception of the corner area of the frame and that the joint along therespective frame side consists of a zipper. 13: Child's bed according toclaim 1, characterized in that the folding fitting (2) comprises twomutually equal hinge elements (1, 1′), which are turnably arrangedaround a common central pivot axis normal to the plane of the hingeelements, that the hinge elements (1, 1′) are axially spring-loaded (7)into parallel and surface-extended abutment against each other and thatthe hinge elements (1, 1′) has an opening each arranged at a distancefrom the axis (6) and extending in a circumferential direction, and abulging from the plane thereof, adjacent to the opening, following inthe direction of circumference, the two ends of the bulgings, whichconnect to the hinge-element opening, abutting against each other in theend position of the fitting, in which the frame parts are folded-out ina common plane.